Scottish Executive

Air Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make any representations to the European Commission in support of public service obligations on flights within the Highlands and Islands being exempted from the maximum period restriction of three years.

Lewis Macdonald: We would wish any extension of the maximum period of three years for public service obligations on lifeline air routes to be considered in the context of any revision of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2408/92 of 23 July 1992 on access for Community air carriers to intra-Community air routes.

Air Services

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what benefits there will be for airports owned by Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd from the Route Development Fund for air routes announced on 18 November 2002.

Lewis Macdonald: The Interim Route Development Fund is primarily focussed on developing new European and UK routes that provide business, inward investment and in-bound tourism benefits. Given the special operating conditions in the Highlands and Islands and the social and economic development remit of Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL), the intention is to provide a distinct part of this fund to HIAL to be managed against priorities which are agreed with the relevant stakeholders.

Air Services

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Highlands and Islands Enterprise will be involved in the assessment of bids to the Route Development Fund for air routes announced on 18 November 2002.

Lewis Macdonald: Highlands and Islands Enterprise will be consulted regarding the priorities for that part of the Interim Route Development Fund that is allocated to Highlands and Islands Airports Limited. Officials will meet to discuss this in the near future.

Air Services

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration will be given to assisting existing domestic air services on less-used routes from smaller airports on which greater frequency and quality can be introduced and what mechanism will be used to assess such services in relation to the route development fund for air routes announced on 18 November 2002.

Lewis Macdonald: I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-31793 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  The need to tackle issues of air service provision in remote areas has also been highlighted during the course of the current air transport consultation. The Executive will consider how best to address this concern as part of its response to the consultation.

Air Services

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria will be used to assess applications to the Route Development Fund for air routes announced on 18 November 2002.

Lewis Macdonald: : Officials of the Executive and Scottish Enterprise, together with expert consultants, are currently working on the detail of the appraisal framework for target routes and the qualifying criteria for each route and airport. Any airline wishing to operate a target route will be offered funding in line with the arrangements agreed for the airport involved, provided they meet the specified criteria for the route.

Air Services

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether airlines seeking to develop international routes are eligible for regional selective assistance (RSA).

Iain Gray: All RSA applications are assessed on their individual merits, against the criteria of the scheme. It is not therefore possible to generalise on the eligibility of particular types of projects, such as described above.

  However, the First Minister announced recently the establishment of an Interim Route Development Fund to invest in new European and UK air routes which provide significant benefit to Scotland in terms of business links, inward investment and in-bound tourism. Details of the scheme are still being worked up by Executive officials in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and airport operators.

Airports

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive which airports are located in areas covered by regional selective assistance.

Iain Gray: Of the Scottish airports which are licensed for scheduled passenger traffic, the following are located, wholly or in part, in the assisted areas of Scotland:

  Kirkwall, Orkney

  Sumburgh, Shetland

  Stornoway, Western Isles

  Barra, Western Isles

  Benbecula, Western Isles

  Campbeltown, Argyll and Bute

  Eday, Orkney

  Fair Isle, Shetland

  Tiree, Argyll and Bute

  Islay, Argyll and Bute

  Wick, Caithness

  Westray, Orkney

  Papa Westray, Orkney

  Stronsay, Orkney

  Sanday, Orkney

  North Ronaldsay, Orkney

  Tingwall, Shetland

  Out Skerries, Shetland

  Foula, Shetland

  Papa Stour, Shetland

  Glasgow Prestwick International Airport, Prestwick

  Glasgow International Airport, Paisley

  Inverness Airport, near Nairn

  Dundee Airport, Dundee.

Ambulance Service

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30941 by Malcolm Chisholm on 6 November 2002, what facilities the cardiac response unit has that the ambulances described as having a thrombolytic capability do not have.

Malcolm Chisholm: Both resources, that is the cardiac response unit (CRU) and the ambulance accident and emergency unit (AEU), have the same thrombolytic capability as defined in the answer given to question S1W-30941. The CRU was introduced into Angus to provide a dedicated resource capable of delivering a fast response to and early thrombolysis for those patients who may require such treatment. When the CRU is deployed, then it is backed up by an AEU to transport the patient to hospital.

Ambulance Service

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the accident and emergency ambulances operating within Angus have a thrombolytic capability.

Malcolm Chisholm: Two out of the four accident and emergency units operating in the Angus area have a thrombolytic capability.

Cancer

Irene McGugan (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-30879 and S1W-30880 by Malcolm Chisholm on 18 November 2002, what action has been taken to put in place the tumour-specific multi-disciplinary managed clinical networks for neuro-oncology.

Malcolm Chisholm: There are three multi-disciplinary neuro-oncology centres in Scotland – one in each Regional Cancer Advisory Group Area - situated in Glasgow (West of Scotland), Edinburgh (South East of Scotland) and Aberdeen (North of Scotland).

Care of Elderly People

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £250 million for free personal and nursing care was allocated to Renfrewshire Council.

Mr Frank McAveety: In the current financial year, from 1 July 2002 to 31 March 2003, Renfrewshire Council received £3.082 million from the overall allocation of £107 million. The allocation to each local authority for 2003-04 will be announced in due course.

Child Protection

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking with regard to the recommendations of the Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet established by Her Majesty's Government in March 2001.

Mr Jim Wallace: We are currently considering, in consultation with Crown Office, whether a new offence of grooming is needed in Scotland. We closely monitor other child protection issues to ensure that best practice is adopted throughout Scotland and participate in internet safety campaigns to highlight how to avoid the possible dangers of using the internet.

Child Protection

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-31210 by Mr Jim Wallace on 14 November 2002, whether it is currently reviewing the legislation on combating abuse of children on the internet.

Mr Jim Wallace: We are considering, in consultation with Crown Office, whether to strengthen the law in this area and whether to introduce a specific new offence of grooming.

Communities Scotland

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £238/248/248 million to be invested through the Communities Scotland development programme, as referred to in Building a Better Scotland: Spending Proposals 2003-06: What the money buys , will be spent in each year in Paisley North.

Ms Margaret Curran: I expect to consider Communities Scotland’s proposed development funding programme for 200-04 in February 2003, following which details will be published. The forward programme in 2004-05 and 2005-06 remains subject to ministerial approval.

Communities Scotland

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding (a) has been available in each year from 2000-01 to 2002-03 and (b) will be available in 2003-04 and 2004-05 to local authorities seeking resources from Communities Scotland for the funding of partial transfers, as referred to in the ministerial statement on housing by the Minister for Social Justice on 7 November 2002.

Ms Margaret Curran: I have asked Mr Bob Millar, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. His response is as follows:

  The resources provided to councils by the Scottish Executive and Communities Scotland for projects involving partial transfers of housing stock are as follows:

  


2000-01
  

£23.507 million
  



2001-02
  

£24.528 million
  



2002-03
  

£9.950 million
  



  A further £29.5 million will be made available in future years to allow councils to complete these projects.

  Resources which may be available from Communities Scotland for any other partial transfer projects will be determined in the context of strategic local housing strategies and within the overall level of resources available in the Communities Scotland programme.

Domestic Abuse

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish its report on the progress of the national strategy to address domestic abuse.

Ms Margaret Curran: I reported our progress to the Parliament in a debate on 28 November 2002.

  We intend to publish a written report in February 2003.

Drug Misuse

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17682 by Iain Gray on 19 September 2001, whether the introduction of voluntary physical co-ordination tests for those suspected of driving whilst under the influence of drugs has been a success.

Mr Jim Wallace: While the percentage of biological samples submitted for analysis which are positive has increased since the introduction of these tests, the effectiveness of the tests continues to be monitored by the police.

Drug Misuse

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17682 by Iain Gray on 19 September 2001, how many convictions have resulted from voluntary physical co-ordination tests carried out by the police for those suspected of driving whilst under the influence of drugs.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information requested is not held centrally. However, it should be noted that a court would be expected to consider not just the results of physical co-ordination tests but also other evidence such as the events surrounding why the police stopped the driver; the manner of driving; demeanour; medical practitioner examination, and blood sample analysis.

Drug Misuse

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how widespread the use of voluntary physical co-ordination tests for those suspected of driving whilst under the influence of drugs is in each police force.

Mr Jim Wallace: All Scottish police forces have officers trained to carry out the tests.

Drug Misuse

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to police officers to optimise the use of voluntary physical co-ordination tests for those suspected of driving whilst under the influence of drugs.

Mr Jim Wallace: None, this is an operational matter for individual Chief Constables.

Drug Misuse

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what police forces are currently utilising voluntary physical co-ordination tests for those suspected of driving whilst under the influence of drugs.

Mr Jim Wallace: All Scottish police forces use the physical co-ordination tests.

Drug Misuse

Irene Oldfather (Cunninghame South) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates it has for actual increases or decreases in the incidence of driving whilst under the influence of drugs over the last five years.

Mr Jim Wallace: UK Government research, published in 2001, indicated that 18% of people killed in road accidents had used illegal drugs. This represented a six-fold increase in the incidence of such drugs since a similar survey in the mid-1980s. There was no change in the incidence of medicinal drugs (6%) since the previous survey. It is not possible to say that the drugs present in an individual's system caused any of these accidents, merely that drugs were detected in the victim's system.

  Research on recreational drug use and driving, published by the Scottish Executive in 2001, found that:

  nearly 10% of drivers aged 17 to 39 have driven under the influence of illegal drugs;

  cannabis is the most common drug to have been used by drug drivers;

  drug driving is more prevalent among 20- to 24-year-old age group, and

  driving after recreational drug use is widespread among people attending night-clubs and dance venues.

Employment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many new jobs were promised by foreign investors and companies and how many such jobs were actually created in each of the last 10 years.

Iain Gray: The number of planned new jobs through foreign direct investment announced over the last 10 years is as follows:

  


Year
  

Total Number of Planned New Jobs
  



1992-93
  

5,342
  



1993-94
  

7,688
  



1994-95
  

9,114
  



1995-96
  

10,136
  



1996-97
  

11,148
  



1997-98
  

14,524
  



1998-99
  

9,041
  



1999-2000
  

14,995
  



2000-01
  

9,742
  



2001-02
  

4,902
  



  As a guide, a detailed analysis carried out on all projects announced between April 1991 and March 1998 showed that 73% of the planned jobs had come to fruition over that period.

Environment

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29959 by Allan Wilson on 9 October 2002, whether there will be an announcement in November 2002 about progress in the preparation of data by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) in relation to the web-based pollution emissions inventory.

Allan Wilson: No, but I will make an announcement about SEPA’s plans shortly.

Environment

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-29496 and S1W-29959 by Allan Wilson on 25 September and 9 October 2002, how much has been allocated to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency specifically to improve public access to pollution data through a web-based pollution emissions inventory.

Allan Wilson: No element of the grant-in-aid allocated to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is ring-fenced for any specific purpose. Under the Spending Review 2002 SEPA has been allocated, subject to parliamentary approval, additional resources of £11.2 million for the period 2003-04 to 2005-06 to cover a range of new duties. This included additional funding to develop an online pollution emissions inventory. It is, however, for SEPA to decide what proportion of the extra funding is to be devoted to developing the pollution inventory.

Environment

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money has been allocated to (a) the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and (b) any other organisations in relation to the Good Neighbour Agreement between Dundee City Council, Dundee Energy Recycling Limited, Friends of the Earth Scotland and local community groups in Dundee.

Allan Wilson: No funding has been allocated by the Scottish Executive to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency or any other organisation in relation to the Good Neighbour Agreement involving the waste to energy plant at Baldovie, Dundee.

European Union

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-28026 by Mr Jim Wallace on 4 November 2002, why the answer did not state which of its ministers and how many of its officials attended the European Union Working Party on Substantive Criminal Law in Brussels on 29 and 30 July 2002, the grade of these officials and their departments and whether it will now provide this information.

Mr Jim Wallace: Ministers from member states do not, as a rule, attend European Union working groups, which are attended by officials from member states. UK officials represented the Executive at the Working Party on Substantive Criminal Law on 29 and 30 July 2002.

External Affairs

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what events the (a) First Minister and (b) Minister for Enterprise, Transport and Lifelong Learning have attended in support of the Friends of Scotland initiative.

Mr Jim Wallace: Scottish Executive ministers are supportive of the Friends of Scotland initiative and attend events when possible.

External Affairs

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of its staff provide support to Friends of Scotland initiative activities.

Mr Jim Wallace: One Scottish Executive member of staff provides limited support to the Friends of Scotland initiative as a local liaison officer in the British Embassy in Washington DC.

External Affairs

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it has spent to date on promoting the Friends of Scotland initiative.

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it has spent to date on activities relating to the Friends of Scotland initiative.

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have taken place with The Scotland Office regarding the provision of financial support for the Friends of Scotland initiative.

Mr Jim Wallace: None.

Flood Prevention

David McLetchie (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30944 by Lewis Macdonald on 13 November 2002, when the proposals for the Colinton flood prevention scheme were first referred to it by the City of Edinburgh Council; how many persons have objected to these proposals, and how many exchanges of correspondence there have been to date between it and objectors.

Lewis Macdonald: The City of Edinburgh Council passed to the Scottish Executive, on 22 January 2002, its proposals to carry out works relating to a culvert overflow under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 in the Redford Road area of Colinton. Two objections to these works have been received. To date, there have been four substantive submissions from one of the objectors and one substantive submission from the other.

Further and Higher Education

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much the Scottish Further Education Funding Council allocated to the (a) Reid Kerr Further Education College and (b) University of Paisley in each year since 1996.

Iain Gray: (a) The Scottish Further Education Funding Council has been responsible for allocating funds to further education colleges since 1 July 1999, when it took over that responsibility from the Scottish Office Education and Industry Department. The initial annual allocations to Reid Kerr College were as follows:

  


Year
  

£ million
  



1996-97
  

 8.2
  



1997-98
  

 8.2
  



1998-99
  

 7.7
  



1999-2000
  

 8.3
  



2000-01
  

 9.3
  



2001-02
  

 10.4
  



2002-03
  

 11.0
  



  Note:

  These figures do not include bursary payments.

  (b) The Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC) is responsible for funding higher education institutions. Since 1996, the council has allocated the following amounts to the University of Paisley:

  


Year
  

£ million
  



1996-97
  

22.1
  



1997-98
  

23.1
  



1998-99
  

22.0
  



1999-2000
  

26.3
  



2000-01
  

25.0
  



2001-02
  

26.8
  



2002-03* 
  

26.7
  



  Note:

  *This figure is estimated.

  In recent years the core funding for teaching and research at the University of Paisley has increased steadily. This full allocation figures includes additional funding announcements which are offered throughout the year for various initiatives.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will ensure that travellers are provided with concise information on the Scottish Inter-collegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) guideline 62, Prophylaxis of venous thromboembolism.

Malcolm Chisholm: The SIGN Guideline highlights the causes of venous thromboembolism and the steps that can be taken to reduce the risk of developing the condition. The particular risk of occurrence during long air flights is well understood and publicised, including airlines’ own in-flight information. The SIGN Guideline, and associated quick reference guide, contain advice which should be given to all travellers on minimising their risk of thrombosis when travelling long distances, especially by air. They also include detailed advice on the prophylactic methods which should be considered for patients at high risk of thrombosis. Anyone planning long-distance air travel who is concerned about the subject should consult their GP before starting their journey.

Higher Education

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £108 million over three years for higher education has been, or will be, given to the Renfrewshire Council area and how the University of Paisley will use any such funds.

Iain Gray: The allocation of this funding is a matter for the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. Details of the full amounts offered to the University of Paisley have been provided to the member in the answer given to question S1W-31837 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

   http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search.

  Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and it is for them to decide how these funds are used.

Housing

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the tenants of Glasgow Housing Association Ltd will be subject to the same regulations as other housing associations in respect of the uplift of bulk items of household refuse.

Ms Margaret Curran: All registered social landlords are subject to the same arrangements in respect of the uplift of bulk items of household refuse.

Housing

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to amend the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 in order to require that planning consent be granted before licence applications for houses in multiple occupancy (HMO) can be determined.

Ms Margaret Curran: Planning and licensing controls are for different statutory and policy purposes and we have no plans to amend the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 in the manner suggested. In those instances where the owner needs both a licence and planning permission he or she has a legal duty to obtain each of them. Local authorities may wish to encourage HMO owners to obtain any necessary planning permission in advance of submitting a licence application to avoid the possibility of abortive work.

Housing

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the £215 million announced in the ministerial statement on housing by the Minister for Social Justice on 7 November 2002 for repair and improvement grants includes money for owner occupiers in mixed tenure estates impacted on by large-scale stock transfers and, if so, how much within each local authority area will be allocated for this in (a) 2003-04, (b) 2004-05 and (c) 2005-06.

Ms Margaret Curran: No. The resources specifically earmarked to assist owner-occupiers affected by housing transfers are included elsewhere in the Social Justice budget. No final decisions about the allocation of the funding have been taken. These will be made in the context of individual transfer proposals.

Housing

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what protection exists for goods that belong to third parties on premises that are affected by a sequestration for rent and the consequent exercise of the landlord’s hypotech.

Mr Jim Wallace: Goods which are on hire purchase or the subject of a conditional sale agreement, which are on the premises only temporarily or which belong to a member of the tenant's family or to a lodger are all exempt from sequestration for rent. Also, any third party, whose property has been included in the sequestration, may apply to the court to be included as an interested party to the court action and may seek recall of the sequestration in respect of his property. Where a warrant of sale has been granted, he may apply to have all other items sold before his.

  Landlord's hypotech and sequestration for rent were discussed in the recent consultation document Enforcement of Civil Obligations in Scotland and consultees were asked for their views on whether sequestration for rent should be abolished. The analysis of responses to that document is available on the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/justice/ecos-00.asp.

Justice

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what work it has instructed to be undertaken with regard to clarifying the law on consent.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Lord Advocate has already taken steps to clarify the law on consent in rape cases. Last year, he referred the case of Edward Watt to the High Court and secured a ruling that clarified the definition of rape in Scots law. The High Court held that the general rule relating to the law of rape is correctly stated by reference to a woman’s lack of consent. This ruling should make prosecution possible in some cases in which it was not previously possible. In view of this clarification we do not consider that there is currently any need for further work to be undertaken in this area.

Justice

Brian Fitzpatrick (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what proposals it has for modernising the law on admissibility of previous convictions and other misconduct in criminal cases so that juries may consider them, where held relevant, when reaching a verdict.

Mr Jim Wallace: There are no plans at present to extend the law on admissibility of previous convictions beyond the existing provisions in the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 including those in section 275A which came into effect on 1 November 2002 as part of the Sexual Offences (Procedure and Evidence) Act 2002.

Local Government

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to introduce an annual audit of statutory services.

Mr Andy Kerr: The current Local Government in Scotland Bill includes provisions for a new statutory framework for improvement of local authority services. This will include a revised audit duty and a requirement for local authorities to report publicly on their performance across their service responsibilities.

Marine Environment

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will respond to Scottish Environmental LINK's document Seas Fit for Scotland , launched on 6 November 2002, and whether there are any plans to take forward any of the document’s proposals.

Ross Finnie: I will be replying to Scottish Environment LINK shortly. My letter will explain that the Executive is already committed, through the UK Marine Stewardship Report, to delivering a number of the initiatives identified by LINK. I will place a copy of my letter in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Marine Environment

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what role it would play in responding to any incident in Scottish waters similar to the sinking of the oil tanker Prestige off the Spanish coast and whether it will give details of procedures that are in place to deal with any such incident.

Allan Wilson: Action to prevent marine pollution remains a function of the UK Government. However, the role of the Scottish Executive, and a number of other statutory bodies, is set out in the National Contingency Plan for Marine Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations (NCP). The plan is tested annually and the most recent national oil spill exercise, which included participation by the Scottish Executive and a number of its agencies, was conducted in the Firth of Forth in October. A copy of the plan is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre, (Bib. number 17730). There is also an Operating Agreement between the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Scottish Executive on Marine Pollution Contingency Planning.

  In the event of an oil spill in waters adjacent to Scotland, the MCA would alert the Scottish Executive and its agencies. The Executive and its agencies would be involved in any Shoreline Response Centre and Environment Group set up under the terms of the NCP to deal with the incident. In addition, the Scottish Executive is responsible as licensing authority for approving the use of chemical dispersants in shallow coastal waters.

Mental Health

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £17.1 million allocated for mental health services will be given to Argyll and Clyde NHS Board and what instructions the Executive has issued about the use of such funds.

Malcolm Chisholm: No instructions have yet been issued about the allocation of the resources estimated to be required for the Mental Health (Scotland) Bill currently before the Parliament, if that is the context of this question. The Financial Memorandum accompanying the bill estimated annual costs for the Scottish Executive and local authorities from 2004-05 as totalling £17.1 million, with a further £6 million per annum for NHS Scotland to be met from the substantial funding increases already announced.

Mental Health

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why the number of section 18 episodes under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 has increased by 5% over the last year.

Malcolm Chisholm: No precise reason can be attributed to the rise, between the years 2000-01 and 2001-02, in the number of patients who had detentions initiated under section 18 of the 1984 act.

Mental Health

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what research it is undertaking, or intends to undertake, into the increase in the number of section 18 episodes under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984.

Malcolm Chisholm: A research programme is being developed within the Executive to support, monitor and evaluate the proposed Mental Health (Scotland) Bill. This programme will include research on the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984, for comparative purposes. We know that admissions to hospital under section 18 have risen steadily (nearly doubling between 1990-91 and 2001-02). An important element of the work planned will be an analysis of case records to explore the characteristics of, and outcomes for, people subject to detention under section 18 since 1990.

Ministerial Committees

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22478 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 February 2002, how many joint ministerial committees and sub-committee meetings have been convened since 12 February 2002; where each meeting took place, which minister attended, and what was discussed.

Mr Jim Wallace: Since 12 February 2002 one plenary meeting of the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC), and five meetings of the functional committees have taken place.

  The Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) Plenary was held on 22 October in London. The First Minister and I attended. The committee reviewed progress over the past year and reaffirmed its continuing support for devolution despite the previous week’s setback in Northern Ireland. The meeting also discussed reform of public services and the Fire Service dispute.

  The Joint Ministerial Committee (Europe) met on 7 March, 11 June, 27 September and 22 October in London. I attended on 7 March, 11 June and 22 October, and the First Minister on 27 September and 22 October.

  On 7 March JMC (Europe) discussed the Barcelona European Council and the Future of Europe. On 11 June it discussed preparations for the Seville European Council and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. On 27 September the committee discussed the Future of Europe and the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights. On 22 October the committee focused on preparations for the Brussels European Council.

  The Joint Ministerial Committee (Poverty) met on 18 September in London. Andy Kerr MSP, Minister for Finance and Public Services and Margaret Curran MSP, Minister for Social Justice, attended. The JMC (Poverty) meeting discussed actions to deliver policies for alleviating poverty in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Ministerial Committees

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list all sub-committees of the Joint Ministerial Committee and detail their membership.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) has met in the following functional groups: JMC Poverty, JMC Health, JMC Europe and JMC Knowledge Economy.

  Each sub-committee consists of UK Ministers, the First and Deputy First Ministers from the Scottish Executive, the Welsh Assembly Government and the Northern Ireland Executive, and other ministers from each administration with an interest in the relevant sectoral area.

Ministerial Committees

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many meetings of the Joint Ministerial Committee and its sub-committees have been planned up to December 2003, detailing where and when each meeting will be held, which minister is to attend and what matters will be discussed.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) meets annually and met most recently in London on 22 October 2002.

  JMC sub-committees meet as and when necessary.

NHS Spending

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much of the £100 million over four years in the Health Improvement Fund will be allocated to Argyll and Clyde NHS Board and on what projects any such funds will be used.

Mrs Mary Mulligan: Argyll and Clyde NHS Board will receive £5.324 million from the Health Improvement Fund for the period 2000-01 to 2003-04. Full details about how the board is utilising its share of the fund are given in the 2001 Investment Report Putting the Pieces in Place,  published earlier this year and   available from the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. number 19606) or from the Scottish Executive website at: www.scotland.gov.uk .

Nursing

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many nurse consultant posts have been created since the announcement on the nursing recruitment and retention action plan by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 7 December 2001.

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 18 new nurse consultant posts referred to in the announcement on the nursing recruitment and retention action plan by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 7 December 2001 have been created.

Malcolm Chisholm: Since the Facing the Future convention for recruitment and retention of nurses in December 2001 a further four posts have been approved. The NHS boards/trusts involved are at varying stages in the appointment process.

Nursing

Shona Robison (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the timescale is for the creation of the 18 new nurse consultant posts referred to in the announcement on the nursing recruitment and retention action plan by the Minister for Health and Community Care on 7 December 2001.

Malcolm Chisholm: We anticipated that 18 consultant nurse/midwife posts would be established by March 2003. Ultimately it is for NHS boards and trusts to make these appointments based on local need and service developments. NHS boards and trusts are currently working towards achievement of this target.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list each parcel of land with buildings on it or consisting of part of a building owned by the Scottish Prison Service.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  


Location
  

Number of Parcels of Land
  

Description
  



Aberdeen City
  

1
  

HM Prison, Aberdeen
  



Aberdeenshire
  

4
  

HM Prison Peterhead
Garages, Peterhead
Garages, Peterhead
Garages, Peterhead
  



Angus
  

2
  

HM Prison Noranside
Disused building, Noranside
  



Clackmannanshire
  

6
  

HM Prison Glenochil 
Licensed premises, Glenochil Terrace, Glenochil
Garages, Glenochil Village
Garages, Sauchie
  



Dumfries and Galloway
  

2
  

HM Prison Dumfries
House, Dumfries
  



East Ayrshire
  

1
  

HM Prison Kilmarnock
  



East Dunbartonshire
  

1
  

HM Prison Low Moss
  



Edinburgh
  

3
  

HM Prison Edinburgh
Licensed premises, Edinburgh
Garages, Edinburgh
  



Falkirk
  

4
  

HM YOI Polmont
Scottish Prison Service College 
Licensed premises, Polmont
Housing, Polmont
  



Glasgow
  

3
  

HM Prison Barlinnie
Licensed premises, Glasgow
House, Glasgow
  



Highland
  

1
  

HM Prison Inverness
  



Inverclyde
  

1
  

HM Prison Greenock
  



North Lanarkshire
  

6
  

HM Prison Shotts
Garages, Shotts
Garages, Shotts
Former Longriggend Remand Unit, Upperton
Garages, Upperton
Sewage Treatment Plant, Upperton
  



Perth and Kinross
  

5
  

HM Prison Perth
HM Prison Castle Huntly
Garages, Castle Huntly
Garages, Castle Huntly 
  



Stirling
  

5
  

HM Prison and Institution Cornton Vale
Houses, Cornton Vale 
Garages, Cornton Vale
  



West Lothian
  

1
  

Central Stores, Fauldhouse

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29277 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 October 2002, why the response to a question on a matter of policy was given by the Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service and not the Deputy First Minister and Minister for Justice.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The answer to (SPS) question S1W-29277 dealt with an operational and contractual matter for SPS, based on the policy most recently set out by ministers on 11 November 2002 in the protocol referred to in the answer to S1W-31449 today. The new prison referred to in the answer to S1W-29277 will provide a new service to the SPS. It will not involve the transfer of an existing service and existing staff to a private provider, so it will not result in the creation of a two-tier workforce.

Prison Service

Michael Matheson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-29277 by Mr Jim Wallace on 29 October 2002, what steps it will take to ensure that there is not a two-tier workforce within prisons.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service will follow the protocol between the Scottish Executive and STUC, and announced by the Finance and Public Services Minister on 11 November 2002, to ensure that in future Public Private Partnership in the prison sector contracts do not give rise to organisations with two-tier workforces.

Protection of Children (Scotland) Bill

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what effect the Protection of Children (Scotland) Bill will have on voluntary organisations.

Cathy Jamieson: The bill provides for a list of persons unsuitable to work with children to be established. We have proposed amendments at stage 2 that will extend to all organisations employing individuals in child care positions (whether voluntary or statutory) the duty to refer individuals to the list if they have harmed a child or put a child at risk of harm. All organisations will commit an offence if they fail to comply with this duty or employ an individual, in a child care position, who is on the list. We are considering appropriate support, advice and training for all organisations in implementation.

Protection of Children (Scotland) Bill

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will accept the recommendation of the Justice 1 Committee regarding the Protection of Children (Scotland) Bill that all evidence must be corroborated before someone can be included on the list of those unsuitable to work with children and, if so, how such a recommendation will affect the original intention of the bill.

Cathy Jamieson: As the bill establishes a civil procedure, it does not require corroboration of evidence. However, a person will not be included on the list unless the evidence submitted with the referral is robust, and the appropriate disciplinary procedures have been undertaken.

Public Transport

Ms Wendy Alexander (Paisley North) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how the (a) £175 million for 79 projects from the Scottish Public Transport Fund, (b) £20 million to local authorities for road and bridge repairs and (c) £680 million for improvements to motorways and trunk road network to 2004 will be allocated and how much of these has been, or will be, allocated to the Renfrewshire Council area.

Lewis Macdonald: The funding of projects from the Public Transport Fund is set out in the regional leaflets associated with the Scottish Executive transport delivery report, Scotland's Transport: Delivering Improvements published in March 2002. Awards to a further 23 projects from the final round of the Public Transport Fund totalling £59 million were announced on 14 November 2002. A total of £1.835 million has been allocated to Renfrewshire.

  Funding for local roads and bridges is a matter for local authorities. Of the £20 million allocation made by the Scottish Executive, Renfrewshire Council was awarded £476,000.

  Spending plans for the motorways and trunk road programme are published in Building a Better Scotland and Scotland's Draft Budget. However, it is a national programme where breakdown by local authority area would not normally be appropriate.

Public Transport

Johann Lamont (Glasgow Pollok) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what support it is currently providing for urban community transport.

Lewis Macdonald: Local authorities have the discretion to decide how and where their allocations will be spent and some local authorities in urban areas have chosen to fund "dial-a-ride" and other community transport services.

  The Executive is committed to improving access to transport, and is supporting public transport improvements for many groups who would benefit from community transport. It has introduced free travel for blind people and is improving concessionary bus fare arrangements for pensioners and disabled people so that they now benefit from free local off-peak bus travel.

  In addition, the Executive recently launched the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland to give disabled people the chance to air their views on transport matters and advise ministers of any practical improvements which could be put in place. The committee's work programme for the coming year will include an investigation into on demand "door-to-door" community transport services.

Public Transport

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have (a) applied and (b) been granted permission to introduce quality contract schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 since 7 August 2002.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any local authority that has applied to introduce quality contract schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 since 7 August 2002 has sought subsidies to secure the services listed within its application and, if so, how much each such authority received.

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many tenders for quality contract schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 were above the utilities sector threshold and needed to be advertised in the Official Journal of the European Communities.

Lewis Macdonald: None.

Public Transport

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to review quality contract schemes under the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 to assess whether the complexities in the tendering process have hindered applications from local authorities.

Lewis Macdonald: I have no current plans to review quality contract schemes nor to review the guidance issued by the Executive on Part 2 (Bus Services) of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001.

Racial Equality

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive which police forces retain the services of a diversity adviser to advise on race equality matters.

Mr Jim Wallace: All Scottish Police Forces engage advisers on racial equality matters. It is for Chief Constables to decide the method of engagement to ensure they achieve racial equality within their organisation and in the services their force provides.

Road Signs

Stewart Stevenson (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-24966 by Lewis Macdonald on 13 May 2002, whether it will provide an update on action taken by BEAR Scotland Ltd in respect of erecting road safety signage on the A90 south of Fraserburgh near Invernorth.

Lewis Macdonald: The signs are currently programmed to be erected in December 2002.

Roads

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-30960 by Lewis Macdonald on 6 November 2002, what "demand management" proposals for an upgraded A80 were identified and outlined in the Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies report and what its current position is on each such proposal, detailing any that have been ruled out.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is contained in Chapter 8 of the A80 Final Report of the corridor plan to 2010 available at: www.cstcs.co.uk . We hope to be able to announce decisions on the way forward later this year, taking account of the consultants’ recommendations and the subsequent comments we have received during the consultation period.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary will next undertake a full, partial or regular visit to, or inspection of, the Scottish Criminal Record Office.

Mr Jim Wallace: HM Inspector of Constabulary will carry out a review inspection of the Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) in January 2003. This review inspection will address any issues that are outstanding from the SCRO Primary Inspection Report published in May 2001 and the review inspection of December 2001.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when HM Chief Inspector of Constabulary will next publish an interim or full report on issues arising from any visit to, or inspection of, the Scottish Criminal Record Office.

Mr Jim Wallace: HM Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) will be reporting on its review inspection of the Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) in March 2003. SCRO will also be included in the HMIC Race Relations Inspection Report that is due to be published in February 2003.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Criminal Record Office (SCRO) fingerprint experts involved in the Shirley McKie case have since their re-instatement given evidence under oath at any criminal trial and, if so, on how many occasions and in which courts.

Mr Jim Wallace: The SCRO fingerprint officers involved in the Shirley McKie have not given evidence under oath at any criminal trial since their re-instatement on 9 April 2002.

Scottish Criminal Record Office

Michael Russell (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many identifications of fingerprints for use as court productions have been undertaken by the Scottish Criminal Record Office fingerprint experts that gave evidence in the Shirley McKie case since their re-instatement.

Mr Jim Wallace: Since their re-instatement on 9 April 2002, the four fingerprint officers involved in the Shirley McKie case have not undertaken the identification of fingerprints for use as court productions.

Scottish Executive Publications

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the full costs were of publishing, printing, distributing and launching (a) Social Justice…a Scotland where everyone matters - Annual Report 2002 and (b) Social Justice…a Scotland where everyone matters - Indicators of progress: Definitions, data, baseline and trends information - Annex to the Social Justice Annual Report 2002 .

Ms Margaret Curran: The cost of publishing and printing Social Justice…a Scotland where everyone matters - Annual Report 2002 and the technical annex to the report was £19,159. To date, costs relating to distribution and the launch stand at £3,563.

Sex Offenders

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any plans to broaden the range of offences that will trigger registration on the sex offenders register.

Mr Jim Wallace: We are considering the range of offences that trigger registration on the sex offenders register with the UK Government in order to ensure that the register continues to provide comparable protection throughout the UK.

Sexual Offences

Mr Gil Paterson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any monitoring or evaluation is to be carried out on the implementation of the Sexual Offences (Procedures and Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2002.

Mr Jim Wallace: Statistical information relevant to the Sexual Offences (Procedure and Evidence)(Scotland) Act 2002 is being collected as from 1 November 2002, the date on which the act came into force. Qualitative research to assess the impact of the act will be commissioned once the new provisions have been in operation for a sufficient period to make such research meaningful. We also plan shortly to commission research on the operation of the pre-2002 law of evidence in sex offence trials, to provide baseline data for the future evaluation of the impact of the act.

Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968

Dorothy-Grace Elder (Glasgow) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what guidance has been issued to local authorities in relation to the power to make payments under section 13 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968.

Cathy Jamieson: Circular SWSG 13/76 gives guidance about civil emergencies. This circular was agreed with central government departments and with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities.

Speed Limits

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to reclassify any rural roads in order to introduce variable speed limits.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive is liaising closely with the UK Government on the implementation of the speed policy proposals in the UK road safety strategy Tomorrow’s Roads – Safer for Everyone , which includes the development of a rural road hierarchy for speed management purposes. Copies of the strategy are available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib number 5711).

  Following the UK Government’s response in October to the Transport, Local Government and the Regions Committee’s report, Road Traffic Speed, a programme of work is now under way to develop better speed management across the rural road network. This work includes village speed limit entry signing, a simplified method of speed limit order making and the development of a speed management assessment framework that will establish exactly what speeds are being driven on rural roads. All this will feed into plans to revise the guidance to local authorities in Scotland and elsewhere on the setting of local speed limits. A copy of the response is available at:

  http://www.roads.dft.gov.uk/roadsafety/rtspeed/index.htm.